By now, most small business owners understand why they need a Web site, so they come to e-websmart and ask us to design one for them. However, we often find that, once a site goes live, our clients don't update their information on a regular basis.

From a search engine standpoint, that can hurt. Google, Yahoo, Bing, and other search engines crave new information. When they notice that your site is being updated on a consistent basis, they will reward you by placing you higher in their rankings. That means you'll appear before your competition, and it increases the likelihood that your site will attract new visitors. Stagnant websites aren't nearly as popular.

E-websmart always suggests that our clients make frequent site updates, and our blog component makes it even easier. A blog is essentially a content management system that allows you to organize information into topics and categories. With a blog, you can add updates about your business, post news, distribute articles, and generally make your site a go-to-place for information when people want to learn more about you and your area of expertise.

Today, social media is all the rage. Experts recommend Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and several other social media sites to connect with your customers, and we do, too. But, just like your Web site should be the foundation for all of your online marketing, a blog should be the main component of your social media strategy.

The e-websmart blog module allows you to seamlessly add a blog to your new or existing Web site, And, because it resides within your Web site, you no longer have to send visitors away from your site to read your blog.

The features of our blog component include:

• Ease of use - just enter your title and type your post 
• A special home page section that lists the titles of your 3 most recent entries, keeping your content fresh and always changing
• Readers can leave comments on each post
• Readers can also subscribe to your posts so they are notified when you add new information
• Archives your information so readers can refer to previous posts.
• RSS feed address that you can feed your blog content to social networking sites and feed readers

It's easy to get started with a blog! We can not only install the blog component on your site, but we can also offer tips on what to post to your blog. We will also feed your blog posts to your social networking sites for you! Contact Michelle at e-websmart to get started.
 

Search engine optimization might seem technical, but if you're going to have a Web site, it's something you should have at least a basic understanding of so you those interested in finding you can. Most people go straight to a search engine when they are looking for more information about a product or service, so your site must be optimized to allow those search engines to find your site.

Typically, a search engine uses a "spider bot" to crawl through sites and detect keywords, meta tags, and other aspects of a site that help identify its purpose. There are things you can do to your site to help these spiders find you. Here are a few tips:

• Use keywords throughout your site. You should identify a list of keywords that accurately describe your business, your industry, and your products and services. Use them on every page, but use them naturally.
• Use title tags - This is a short description of your page that will appear in search engine results. You'll want this title to be different on each page. You might include your business name along with your location and the title of your Web page. For example, an attorney might include his name, a designation of what type of law he practices, and where he is located, along with the name of the Web page.

Joe Smith - Attorney - Civil Law - Chicago, Illinois - Services

There's no such thing as a perfect title, and you can experiment with different phrases, but it is important to include your keywords here.

• Find companion sites that will link to your site. The more incoming links you have to your site, the higher your search engine ranking can be. If you are a member of a professional organization, check to see if there is an online directory that will display your name and Web site. Or your city may have a business services directory that will list you for free. Other opportunities include linking to your site form your blog or exchanging links with other business people.
• Validate your CSS or HTML code. This will ensure your code is free of errors and help all of the aspect of your site to display properly. You can have your code validated by the W3C. Valid coding helps search engines to accurately read your code and determine the subject of your page.
• Create a site map. This is a page that shows the navigation structure of your site and links to each page as well. It improves SEO because it ensures that search engines will find each page of your site. it also helps visitors understand how you have organized your site and could make it easier for them to go directly to the information they need to find.